Under the strange looks of Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen, the three girls Zhou Zhiruo bowed to Song Xuan and then left one after another.
After a few people left, Song Lian, the old man in charge of ethics, education, imperial examinations and other matters, started to complain.
"If your Majesty needs it, you can go to the harem behind closed doors and do whatever you want, but this royal study is the place where state affairs are handled, and it is extremely sacred! How can you show off your obscenity in such a place during the day?"
Song Xuan gave a dry laugh and said: "The Emperor had something to discuss when he came to visit, so I called the Queen, Concubine and others to come and see the Emperor. It was not what Aiqing and others thought."
The imperial study room is an important place for the royal family to handle state affairs and receive courtiers. It is indeed inappropriate to call the harem concubines here. No wonder the old man Song Lian can't stand it.
Song Lian wanted to say something more, but Liu Bowen stopped him and smoothed things over, "Even if an ordinary bride comes over, she still has to serve tea to her parents-in-law the next day.
I can understand this, I can understand it!"
As he spoke, he touched Li Shanchang again, and Li Shanchang presented a folded book as if he had just woken up from a dream.
"Your Majesty, I have negotiated and improved various matters concerning the imperial examination together after the court has dispersed. I would like to ask your Majesty to take a look at it."
Song Xuan took the fold and took a look at it, and said, "It's very efficient."
After a quick glance, it was similar to what he remembered about the imperial examination system of the Ming Dynasty.
The first is the county examination and the government examination. If you pass the examination, you will be a child student. The child student is eligible to take the college examination. After passing the examination, you can be called a scholar.
Scholars are eligible to participate in the provincial examination, which is held every three years. Those who pass the examination can be called a candidate. At this level, they are qualified to be an official.
After the rural examination, there is the general examination held in the capital. Juren from all provinces across the country participate together, and those who succeed are Gongshi.
Finally, the Gongshi will take part in the final palace examination in the palace. At the end of the palace examination, the candidates will receive the distinguished honor of Jinshi.
The goal of the palace examination is not to eliminate people, but to determine the rankings and select the first-class Jinshi, the second-class Jinshi, and the third-class Jinshi.
"What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Seeing Song Xuan finish reading the book, Li Shanchang asked nervously.
As the fundamental system for selecting candidates for the country, the imperial examination has always been a major event. Especially this time, as the first person in charge of the first imperial examination in the Wu Dynasty, he was extremely cautious.
Song Xuan pondered for a moment and said: "When the Wu Dynasty was first established, a huge number of officials were needed. The number of admissions in your brochure needs to be revised."
Song Xuan pointed at the fold and said: "For example, in the provincial examination, I look at your suggestions and only the top 30 people can get the title of Juren. This number is too small!
Expand to eighty or one hundred people!
In the future, as the territory of our Wu Dynasty continues to expand, the number of candidates will also continue to increase."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" Li Shanchang naturally had no objection and quickly nodded in agreement.
"There is still a general examination. According to your wishes, only the top 100 students in the country will be selected as Gongsheng students. This number will also be increased to 200."
After the Gongsheng students, there is the palace examination. As long as they participate in the palace examination, these Gongsheng students can all become Jinshi, but the rankings are different.
In other words, in the nationwide imperial examination held every three years, only 200 Jinshi can be selected in the end. Only by becoming a Jinshi can one truly enter the officialdom, starting with the level of Qipin County Grand Master.
The seventh-grade county magistrate may sound like he has a low rank, but in fact he has extremely high power.
On this point, you can refer to the county magistrates of later generations to understand how much power the seventh-grade county magistrates of this era had. In terms of power alone, the county magistrates of this era were more powerful than those of later generations.
The Yuan Dynasty did not pay much attention to the imperial examinations and scholars, but the Song and Xuan Dynasties, on the contrary, attached great importance to this aspect.
The imperial examination was a major event, and education was the century-old foundation of the empire. Song Xuan attached great importance to it and had a long chat with Li Shanchang and the other three about the imperial examination.
He even issued some special decrees to benefit readers.
For example, scholars do not kneel when meeting officials, and children can receive daily necessities such as rice and noodles from the local government office on time every month.
Liu Bowen, Song Lian and others were also very happy that His Majesty the Emperor valued scholars so much. The monarch and his ministers talked happily.
Until the end, Song Xuan expressed the issue he was most concerned about.
"You are all my humerus ministers. I just want to ask you, if the candidates from all provinces come to Beijing at the same time to take the exam, which province will have more Jinshi?"
Li Shanchang was stunned for a moment, but he did not dare to hide it and said: "Your Majesty, if nothing unexpected happens, in the first imperial examination of the Wu Dynasty, most of the Jinshi will come from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces."
Seeing Liu Bowen and Song Lian's expressions change, he hurriedly said: "It's not that I mean to be biased, it's mainly because His Majesty originally took Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces as his foundation. Both provinces are far better than other provinces in terms of stability and prosperity of the people.
Comparable.
And I think your Majesty should also understand how important a stable learning environment is to scholars. Those provinces that do not have enough food and clothing, and may even face the danger of life and death at any time, how can they pass the imperial examination if they all take the imperial examination in Beijing at the same time?
Passed through Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces?
Especially the northern provinces, which have been ruled by foreigners for many years since the Southern Song Dynasty, and have been in war most of the time. To be honest, the talented scholars are not even close to those in the southern provinces."
Song Lian was thoughtful, and Liu Bowen took over the topic and said: "Your Majesty is worried that in the first imperial examination, too few students from the north will be selected in the examination?"
Song Xuan chuckled, "I'm not worried about the small number of students from the north who will pass the exam, I'm worried about none of them!"
"What is the North like like? You guys who came all the way from Jinling to Beijing should also know that aliens have ruled for too long, and many people can't even speak Chinese, let alone read and learn to read?"
Song Lian frowned, "So your Majesty plans to allocate part of the Jinshi quota to students from northern provinces?"
Song Xuan nodded, "Yes!"
"I object!" Song Lian said seriously: "The imperial examination is the foundation of the empire and a sacred matter. Anyone who is on the exam should have obtained it based on their talent and learning!
Just because they are poor and miserable, we have to give them the Jinshi quota? This is not fair!"
This old man is stubborn. In his eyes, the imperial examination is extremely sacred. Everything should be based on talent and learning and examination results, not political compromise or regional protection!
Song Xuan didn't blame him, he knew that the stubborn old man couldn't accept it for a while.
Not to mention that Song Lian couldn't accept it, even Song Xuan couldn't accept it before he traveled through time, and he was aggrieved about it.
Why do you guys from Beijing and Shanghai occupy nearly half of the educational resources in the country, while students from our most populous province have to work hard to cross the single-plank bridge with thousands of troops, and even if they rush out in the end, they will be ridiculed by you for being a small town?